Chapter One CHAPTER ONE One of the best things about staying with Nana and Grandad, apart from Grandad's legendary homemade ginger beer and Nana's world-famous apple strudel, was the Hollow Tree. Which was why, as soon as their father had dropped them off for summer vacation, Lana and Harrison pulled on their rain boots, clomped down the street, and squelched their way across the marsh to where their old friend was waiting. There is something magical about hollow trees. Some people say they are the home of fairies and sprites, and that you should always turn your coat inside out before you climb into one to protect yourself from their spells. Others say they are the entrances to enchanted worlds. Whether you believe in magic or not, if you ever played in the Hollow Tree at Nana and Grandad's house, you would never forget it. It was hollow all the way up the inside, and generations of children had carved handholds so you could climb right up and stick your head out of the top. Best of all, it seemed to have a face. In the middle of its trunk, two empty eye sockets sat above a twisty nose hole, below which was a gaping mouth lined with bulges that looked just like grinning teeth. Add to that the fact that its broken branches looked just like hair, and you might have thought the whole tree was about to laugh, or burst into song, or maybe just crunch up your bones, swallow, and release a leafy burp. On this day in particular--a day that turned out to be very unusual indeed--the Hollow Tree had a surprise in store for Lana and Harrison. It had been surrounded by a bright yellow plastic safety barrier, and pinned to its bark forehead was a large sign which read: DANGER! TREE FELLING IN PROGRESS. "What?" exclaimed Lana in disbelief. "You can't be serious!" "They're going to cut it down," said Harrison mournfully. Lana's heart sank. She'd recently had a growth spurt and had been hoping that this vacation she would finally be tall enough to reach the handholds and make it all the way to the top of the tree. "That's so unfair!" she protested. "I'll never get to climb it now." "I'm sorry, Lana," said Harrison sympathetically. "You were looking forward to that. I feel bad for the tree too. It's been here forever." There was a pause. "I'm going anyway," said Lana determinedly. "No!" said Harrison, catching her by the arm. "Look at the sign. We're not allowed." "But there's no one here!" protested Lana. "There's no one here yet ," corrected Harrison. "They could come any minute," he added, anxiously turning to scan the horizon. Which gave Lana the perfect opportunity to duck under the safety barrier. "Lana!" hissed Harrison as she hopped across the marsh. "You'll get us into trouble!" But Lana was already jumping from tuft to tuft across the marshy field, heading straight for the Hollow Tree. "Come back!" shouted Harrison, but Lana wasn't listening. "I'm going in!" she called, squeezing her head and arms through the tree's open mouth. She breathed in the old familiar darkness: a delicious mix of wet leaves, fresh fungus, and dry rotting wood. After wriggling forward until just her legs were poking out, she tumbled inside and landed in an undignified heap in the giant hollow. Then, as she struggled to her feet, a stray twig spiked the top of her head. "Ow!" she howled, rubbing the sore spot. "Lana?" called Harrison from behind the barrier. "Are you okay?" "No!" she lied. She wasn't really hurt; she just wanted Harrison to join her. Seconds later, he landed heavily beside her. There is something magical about hollow trees. "Something scratched me," she sobbed. "Is it bleeding?" "Stand in the light a minute." Lana moved to the center of the hollow, and Harrison made a fingertip search of her hair. "I can't see anything. Come on, let's go back." "No," Lana said, pulling at his sleeve. "I want to climb up there." She pointed to the little blue circle of sky at the top of the Hollow Tree. "No way," said Harrison. Lana stretched herself to her full height, but she couldn't quite reach the first handhold. "I need a boost," she begged. Harrison shook his head and folded his arms. "What if someone comes while you're up there? It's too dangerous." "Please," begged Lana. "You've done it. This could be my last chance." Harrison gave her one of his Weary Looks. Then he cradled his hands and launched Lana upward toward the light. But as soon as she gripped a handhold, they heard voices in the distance. "There's someone coming!" said Harrison anxiously, grabbing Lana's ankle. "STOP!" he shouted over his shoulder. "THERE ARE CHILDREN--!" Lana toppled back on top of him, swiftly untangled herself, and then clamped her hand over his mouth. "They're just talking!" she hissed. "Look." Harrison followed her gaze out of the tree's mouth to where four adults were approaching the safety barrier. "See?" said Lana. "No saws or diggers or anything. Just be quiet. Then we won't get in any trouble." Harrison nodded his agreement, and when Lana took her hand away, they each moved to one of the eyeholes, listening in on the conversation. A confident-looking woman with long braids was talking. She said, "Thank you for coming, everyone. I'm Gudrun Lloyd, the mayor. Carl Ellis is the developer in charge of this project." A stocky bald man wearing canvas shorts and a leather waist bag nodded. "And this is Professor North, our spider expert." A tall, slim lady with white hair and a striking gold necklace forced a thin smile. Next to her, a dark-haired man with a patterned red scarf coughed politely, asking for Gudrun's attention. "Oh! I'm so sorry," said Gudrun. "This is Yashar Falarmarzi, the local science teacher who first noticed we had spiders living in the marsh." "Thank you, Gudrun," said Yashar with a winning smile. "Carl, thank you so much for meeting with us today...." Carl held up a hand to silence Yashar, then turned to Professor North. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" he snapped. "This project has been years in the planning and will provide seventy-five much-needed high-quality homes. It has cost me millions of dollars, not to mention years of my life...." His voice trailed off and he snatched a breath. "And you want to cancel it, just because of a few silly spiders?" There was a long pause, while Professor North regarded him steadily. "Not cancel," she replied coldly. "Delay." "Are you out of your mind?" snarled Carl angrily. Yashar, the teacher, appeared between them. "You have to understand, Mr. Ellis," he began in a soothing voice, "these are no ordinary spiders. They are golden diving bells, and they are extremely rare. So rare that they are on the brink of extinction. All we're asking for is a chance to move them to another location." "For a teacher, you're not very bright, are you?" snapped Carl. "Tell him, Mayor." Gudrun sheepishly stared down at her feet. She looked over to the Hollow Tree--and saw movement in its eyes! "Aaagh!" she screamed. "What the--!" exclaimed Carl. "The tree!" shrieked Gudrun, pointing straight at Lana. "It's alive!" Excerpted from The Night We Got Stuck in a Story by Ben Miller All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
